Blog Archives

FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS GOVERNING RESOURCE-SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

In addition to the federal requirements governing the planning and implementation of high­way projects, a number of federal statutes and regulations have been promulgated to pro­tect the environment. The responsibility and authority associated with these requirements are assigned to a number of federal agencies, or delegated to the states. A listing of key fed­eral environmental requirements is provided in Table 1.8.

Environmental requirements are also included in a number of executive orders issued by the President of the United States that mandate policy on specific issues, including orders concerning the protection of wetlands, floodplains, significant cultural resources, disadvantaged and minority populations, marine resources, and energy supply...

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The myth of the Flood, a reflection of the ancestral threat of floods and inundations?

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

The Euphrates River, although less capricious than the great rivers of China, is subject to major floods and changes in course. The Flood is a common myth in all of Mesopotamia, existing in several versions. The oldest written version, written in Sumerian and discovered at Nippur, is unfortunately in very poor condition.[12] The most well-known version, the one that very likely inspired the biblical account in Genesis, is part of The Epic of Gilgamesh, a Babylonian account written in the first half of the IInd millennium BC in which the description of the event is situated in the Sumerian city of Shuruppak. Here is an extract:

“That stated time had arrived. In the morning he let loaves of bread shower down, and in the evening a rain of wheat...

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BASICS

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Getting Acquainted with Tools and the Parts of a House

The craft of carpentry has a long and honorable heritage. Ages before we began recording our history, our ancestors were shaping and joining materials to create various types of shelters. Today, we are the fortunate inheritors of centuries of accumulated knowledge, experience, skills, and tools. Although carpentry continues to be transformed by technology (from computer-aided design programs to cordless tools and pneumatic nailers), many basic tools and techniques remain unchanged.

It still takes a human hand wrapped around a hammer handle to build a decent place to live. Like basic carpentry tools, many parts of the house have stayed the same over the years. Technology has improved some of the parts, as well as created new ones...

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STEP 4 SECURE THE BUILDING PERMITS

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

It’s not uncommon for builders or owner – builders to view the local building department as enemy turf. Let me suggest that your building experience will be immeasurably more positive, productive, and efficient if you view the build­ing department as a resource and think of the building inspector as someone who can help you. Certainly there are exceptions, as there are in any field, but, by and large, building depart­ments and building inspectors exist to protect prospective homeowners from unscrupulous or incompetent builders and owner-builders from themselves. The building inspector knows the building codes, which have been developed over the years to ensure that safe, durable houses are built. Your building inspector has the same

STEP 4 SECURE THE BUILDING PERMITS

FLOOR PLAN

This is the floor plan for a simpl...

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Pavements and Earthworks

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

1.4.1 Definitions

In today’s world almost all traffic runs on an improved surface and not on the nat­ural soil profile… and most users give such improved surfaces little thought. This improved surface is known as a pavement and may be a simple layer of imported aggregate or the structure that comprises a modern expressway. In fact, all but the very simplest pavements comprise a series of carefully designed layers of imported, selected, construction materials placed on the “subgrade” (Fig. 1.4). The subgrade

Pavements and Earthworks

Fig. 1.4 Indicative highway cross section

may either be the natural soil profile encountered at the site (e. g...

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State Environmental Review Legislation

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted environmental policy acts, which, because they are largely modeled on NEPA, are collectively referred to as “Little NEPAs.” A list of these statutes is provided in Table 1.7. Highway projects may be affected by these state-specific environmental requirements, which, in general, follow or expand upon federal objectives and programs. In some instances, the state defers to the NEPA process, while, in others, the state reviews proceed as independent but parallel and coordinated efforts. In addition, increasingly, states are being given powers to implement federal programs, leading to their further involvement in the environmental review of high­way projects...

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FLOORS AND STAIRS

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Squeaky floors may take 2 minutes to repair or 2 days, when the cause is elusive. If you can live with some squeaks, they’re rarely a sign of any­thing serious.

Excessively springy floors suggest subflooring or underlayment that’s not strong enough to span the joists. Additional layers of subflooring or flooring should firm things up.

Deteriorating flooring near an exterior door – sill suggests that rain or snow has soaked the sill and subflooring. You’ll need to replace damaged materials and install an all-weather doorsill.

Widespread cracking in tile floors may result from insufficient adhesive between tile and sub­flooring or an underlayment that’s too thin and thus not rigid enough. Repairing it may mean tearing out the tile and perhaps the underlay – ment before replacing both.

Crac...

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The River: menace or blessing?

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

All of the great early civilizations were born in alluvial valleys – notably the Tigris – Euphrates delta, then the valleys of the Nile, the Indus, and the Yellow River (Figure 1.2). The soil in those valleys is fertile, but must be irrigated and drained, and this requires the establishment of coordinated water management. But there is another con­sideration: populations near the river are exposed to the deadly threat of flooding. Flood protection is therefore another fundamental need, demanding societal organization of significant manpower, and attracting population agglomeration to sites that can readily be protected. All of this implies a certain collective and hierarchical organization.

The River: menace or blessing?

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The Environmental Impact Assessment Process under NEPA

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

An outline of the steps in the NEPA process is presented in the following discussion and illustrated in Fig. 1.1.

Determination of the Level of Documentation Needed to Comply with NEPA.

Highway projects are usually initiated by a state or local transportation agency. If it is anticipated that a major federal action is required to implement a project, it must com­ply with NEPA. Conversely, projects that do not require a major federal action do not require review under NEPA. These minor actions include projects that are “categori­cally excluded” from detailed review under NEPA and for which a minimal level of environmental documentation is required. A list of categorical exclusions is provided

The Environmental Impact Assessment Process under NEPA

FIGURE 1.1 Overview of NEPA environmental review process. (From R. E. Bass and A. I...

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Organisation of Book

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

The book covers both theory and practice and addresses both sub-surface drainage and water quality issues. Chapter 2 deals with basic flow and suction theory and Chapter 4 with heat transfer, which is implicated in driving water movement by phase change mechanisms (freezing, thawing, evaporation). Chapter 6 establishes a basis for discussing environmental aspects, introducing contaminant transport pro­cesses. Chapters 3 and 7 give an overview of the available techniques to monitor water flow, suction pressures and contaminants in water. After this introductory and descriptive section of the book, Chapters 8-11 aim to explain interaction between water in soil and aggregate and the mechanical response of such materials...

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